


Six Different Ways Inside My Heart

by kazoobard



Category: Community
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:00:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27039862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kazoobard/pseuds/kazoobard
Summary: Six weeks, six times Abed falls in love with Troy.
Relationships: Troy Barnes/Abed Nadir
Comments: 9
Kudos: 135





	Six Different Ways Inside My Heart

1\. 

Troy likes to crawl in bed with Abed. He sometimes gets scared after they rewatch Alien, or cries when he thinks too hard about whether his monkey is happy in the vents. He likes to have company in those moments, so Abed will hear the ladder creak and he’ll wordlessly roll over to make room for Troy.

Troy always looks serious when he’s falling asleep, like he’ll forget how if he doesn’t concentrate. Abed doesn’t mean to stare, but he likes the way that Troy’s forehead smooths and his lips curve slightly up when he drifts into sleep.

Sometimes Troy talks in his sleep. Little things like “Annie” or “shut up” or, rarely, “Abed, c’mere.” Troy always grabs at Abed’s sleep shirt when he mumbles this, burying his face into Abed’s chest. Abed doesn’t try to fight it. Troy’s like a human space heater.

2\. 

One afternoon, Troy turns to Abed and says, “Y’know, you don’t have to kill yourself to get people to like you.”

Abed pauses. “What?”

“I dunno,” Troy says with a shrug, “I just noticed that you always do whatever people ask you. You don’t have to do that.”

“Oh.” Troy doesn’t understand. It’s okay, Abed can explain. “No, if I do nice things for people that will make them like me. And I have to keep doing nice things or they’ll stop liking me and start pouring soda on my head.”

Troy’s eyebrows crease. “Who would do that?”

“Everyone.”

“Well... that’s stupid. People shouldn’t do that.”

“But they do.”

“But they shouldn’t.”

Abed tilts his head, looking directly at Troy. “Okay.”

3.

Troy is filled with love and pancakes.

He’s helping Annie make a third helping, and Abed is watching from across the counter. He’s sitting on his stool, quietly finishing his pancakes. Annie and Troy are goofing around, laughing and telling dumb jokes to make each other laugh harder.

Abed doesn’t realize he’s staring until Troy is staring back, his eyes crinkling into a smile. Abed’s frozen, trying to figure out how to make his face move normally, when Troy says something that sounds like static.

“What?” Abed says, slowly.

“Blueberries or chocolate chips?”

“Blueberries.”

Troy throws a blueberry at his head.

4.

They’re coloring the pages of Friends Weekly, poring over the semi-finished magazine. The pages aren’t bound yet, so they’re spread out across the floor in front of them.

Troy finishes a page and sets it down proudly, leaning over Abed to get another. Abed tenses, not daring to breathe as Troy’s shoulder brushes against his chest.

Troy pulls away, paper in hand, concerned. “You okay?”

Abed nods quickly, and Troy says, “Cool,” leaning back against Abed as he grabs a pen for the headline. He leans forward, worrying his lip between his teeth as he writes. He looks up eventually, notices Abed staring. He doesn’t say anything.

5.

Troy’s lips are soft.

Annie is outside, so they have to be quiet, but Troy whimpers into Abed’s mouth as he’s pulled in, Abed’s hands firm on his hips. Troy rocks forward, sending electricity through Abed’s entire body.

Abed has trouble reading Troy’s expression as he pulls away. He’s breathing hard, eyes toward the floor. “Dude...”

“What’s wrong?”

Troy’s eyes flit up, pupils blown wide. He seems to find something funny in Abed’s expression, because he lets out a breathy laugh.

Abed’s hands relax, beginning to pull back. Troy whines almost imperceptibly, and Abed’s grip tightens again. Troy is gazing at him with something new in his eyes.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

They do the handshake.

“Hey, you should kiss me again.”

6.

It turns out, Troy is a cuddler.

Abed had some idea before, but he had no way to prepare for how often Troy needs physical contact, how much he’ll risk holding Abed’s hand under the table.

Annie notices, he’s sure of it, but she doesn’t say anything. Or at least, not for the first several weeks.

They’re watching a movie, and Troy is asleep. He’s between Abed and Annie on the couch, arms wrapped around Abed’s torso, head resting on his shoulder.

“I’m glad you two are together.”

Abed pauses, trying to think of what to say. He settles on the truth. “Me too.”

Troy shifts next to Abed, gripping his pajama shirt tighter. “Stop talkin’ ‘bout me.”

Abed leans over and kisses his forehead.


End file.
